The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna-Austria in collaboration with the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has provided fellowships for Postgraduate Programmes under the regional technical cooperation project titled ‘Adding the Groundwater Dimension to the Understanding of Shared Water Resources in the Sahel Region (RAF7019)’.
Ms. Mary Etuk, a PhD student from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) is currently on Scholarship at the University of Pisa, Italy, under the above stated technical cooperation project. In an effort to sustain the capacity building component of the TC projects, IAEA is requesting for nomination of candidates by Nigeria for PhD fellowships sandwich programme and MSc in Isotope Hydrology under its new AFRA regional project on water resources management titled: RAF7021 “Enhancing, Planning, Management and Sustainable Utilization of Water Resources (AFRA)”.
It is envisaged that selected candidates will spend part of their study programme at their home University and pursue their PhD research work at a foreign University over a maximum period of three years. Prospective students are expected to work on the project RAF7021 as the local component of the PhD study programme. The IAEA will fund the external part of the PhD study only. The main goal is to train PhD students to become experts in the field of Isotope hydrology at the national and regional levels. The nominated candidates are expected to be young professionals, scientists or researchers who are duly following a PhD programme at a University in their home country and must satisfy the following criteria ;
- Be aged 40 or under;
- Have completed formal education to a level equivalent to a master’s degree (transcripts must be provided)
- Be registered and enrolled in a PhD programme at his/her home country University (documentary evidence must be provided);
- Have a formal admission letter to conduct his/her PhD research work in a foreign university (documentary evidence must be provided);
- Have developed, together with the local and foreign PhD supervisors, a work programme broken down into six-month segments (‘sandwich’ modality) reflecting the work to be carried out locally and at the foreign university over a three-year period – i.e. six months in the home country and six months abroad each year for three years. This work programme should be attached to the nomination ;
- Provide a letter of recommendation by the AFRA National Coordinator indicating that the country confirms that the candidate, if selected, will return and work in his/her home country upon completion of the training.
For the MSc Programme, fellowships will also be awarded to postgraduate students or scientists under the new project RAF7021, so that they may pursue an MSc degree with focus on isotope hydrology at a foreign university. The study will consist of taught and research components carried out over a period of two years. The research component is expected to carried out in the candidates own country preferably in the geographical area applicable to project RAF7019. The IAEA will fund only the external part of the MSc programme.
The main goal of the fellowship is to train MSc students to become future researchers in the field of isotope hydrology at the national and regional levels. Interested candidates should be young professionals, scientists or researchers and must:
- Be aged 35 or under;
- Have completed formal education to a level equivalent to a bachelor’s degree (transcripts must be provided);
- Have a formal admission letter to an MSc programme in a foreign university (documentary evidence must be provided);
- Have developed, together with the MSc supervisors, a work programme indicating the periods to be spent in taught and research components (as applicable). This work programme should be attached to the nomination;
- Provide a letter of recommendation by the AFRA National Coordinator indicating that the country confirms that the candidate, if selected, will return and work in his/her home country upon completion of the training.
In this context, interested candidates are obliged to contact either of the following persons to obtain the fellowship application forms for the respective postgraduate programmes.
- The Director General
Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA)
Plot 222 Shetimma Ali Monguno Crescent
Utako Abuja,
Nigeria
- S. M. Jabo
Director, Hydrogeophysics
IAEA TC National Counterpart I, RAF/7019
Phone : 09061609374
Email : stephenmargima@yahoo.com
- S. U. Hussaini
Assistant Director, Hydrogeophysics
IAEA TC National Counterpart II, RAF/7019
Phone : 08036438436
Email. hussainisunday@yahoo.co.uk
Note : You are kindly requested to submit the completed fellowship forms for both programmes at your earliest convenience, preferably not later than 15th January 2022, and the fellowship application form, duly endorsed by the AFRA National Coordinator. Please send the completed and signed application form via email to Neil Jarvis, IAEA Programme Management Officer (N.V.Jarvis@iaea.org). Fellowships will be granted according to availability of resources, quality of the research proposa and responding to national and regional needs.
